Three children...

Guests ate after 4pm and after a few hours, many felt sick. “Between 10pm and 11pm, Mane’s daughter started experiencing problems. She was taken to Mohite Hospital in Khopoli,” said Purushuttom Thorat, Khalapur Tehsildar.

Mane’s daughter complained of a stomach ache and then started vomiting. Soon after, Mane’s wife also complained of the same symptoms.

The two of them were shifted to Ashtvinayak Hospital in Panvel because their symptoms were too serious for the local hospital and are yet to be discharged.

Hospitals in the area reported patients coming in with similar complaints, raising suspicions of food poisoning. By Monday night, 88 of Mane’s guests were complaining of vomiting, nausea, stomach aches and giddiness.

The police said Kalyani , Rishikesh and Pragati fell sick a few hours after eating the meal. By the time the three children were brought to the local hospital by their respective families, their condition was critical and they had to be sent to Mahatma Gandhi Mission (MGM) Hospital in Kamothe, which is about an hour away.

All three died on the way, around 11.30pm.

Dr KR Salgotra, medical superintendent of MGM Hospital, said, “Ten patients were rushed to us at night and three of them were brought dead. One patient is still in ICU and her condition is critical. Two other patients are in the general ward, another is in the casualty ward.